Cotton baling



J. A. TAFT COTTON BALING Aug. 5, 1930.

Filed April 12, 1924 F m W W A7 TOR/VEKS.

Patented Aug. 5, 1930 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICEQ' JOHN A. 'I'AF'I, F CORPUS GHRIS'I'I TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO I. M. CLARK, OF DALLAS,

- TEXAS co'rToN BALfN Application filed April 12, 1924. Serial No. 706,204. v

My'invention relates to the art of baling cottonincylindrical bales, and to the maintenance of proper pressure on the cotton during the spinning of the cylindrical bale.

It is a knownfact that'cotton is one of the most stubborn substances to handle or to successfully form into bales or packages for the reason of its elastic tendency. It is helpless and stubborn in this disposition when 1e put through" any form of operation that would produce a compact package. A means must be produced that will substantially press all the air out of the cotton and hold same in itscompressed conditionwhile being formed into packages or bales." For illustration:the present system now in vogue, known as the square bale, compresses the package to a high-density of 48 pounds per cubic foot. When this package or bale is released it expands to a bale containing about 28 to 30 pounds density to'the cubic foot.

This explanation shows the great elastic limit to cotton. I This being the v -case it is essential to hold the material in a package 25 or bale under constant compression at all times of formin the bale, and to be able to secure and firmdy I hold the; initial density when the bale is completed. The method ,of baling cotton, 1 am about to describe, has an for its novel feature a construction that enables the operator to compress the cotton into a dense mass and hold same under control and maintain the initial density atthe completion of the operation.

This is accomplished by the use of a belt or band which encircles the circumference of the bale from the commencement to the completion of same. The mechanism that controls the movement of the belt or band about 0 the circumference of the bale is so designed that the belt surrounding the circumference will be increased accordingly, holding the density of the cotton being baled throughout the entire operation. a 1

There have been patents granted showing belts within loops of which a web of cotton is fed, the cotton being rolled up within the belts. Also attempts have been made to my knowledge to practice baling cotton in this 50 mannerythat is to'say, "a pair ofdriven rollers have been provided and a belt passed over these rollers, with a tension roller to keep the belt tight but to permit it to accumulate between the two rollers. When cotton was fed between the two main rollers, and it was attempted to form a cylindrical mass in the loop of the moving belt, he1 dievices as above noted have uniformly The'reason for failure has been that when sufficient tension was applied to the belt by the tension rol1ers,'to give proper density to the cotton, the mechanism would bind and lock the movement ofthe rollers, so that they would not revolve. Also when tensions were so arranged that a large cylinder was accumulated within the loop of the belt between the'two rollers, then the belt would slip, and the pressure and density would diminish."

According to my process the drive is so arranged as to be non-slipping, and the density is not dependentupon the tension .on the belt as maintained by a tensionrolh but' upon the spacing of the two rollers, andthe control of the amount of the belt, that is permitted to accumulate between them.

I have not attempted to show acomplete machine for the purpose of accomplishing my'object, but rather to indicate a structure, which it would be within the skill of the man trained in'this particular art to apply to a complete mechanism.

I accomplishfl'my object above designated by that certain method of baling to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed. V In the drawing: v Figure l is a side elevation showing the drive of a suitable mechanism for accom plishing my object.

Figure 2 1s a side elevation of one ofthe roller element's.

Figure '3 is a detail of a section of a belt, which could be used with my invention.

Figure 4e'is a perspective diagram, showing the method'of baling in a cylinder.

J Figure 5 is a like perspective showing the inner mechanism in one of-the rollers.

:According to my rocess a belt is driven by two rollers, with w...i h it'has a p sit ve en'- trolled rotary play between one or both of th'ecrollers and. theirshafts, positively driven as above noted.

The exact mechanical means adopted to accomplish the above purpose is not essen tial. V V

I have shown for example, two shaftsl and 2, each having a gear 3 thereon, with the two gears connected by an idle gear 4. -The one of the gears 3 may bedriven by another power gear 5.

p The rollers, asin-dicated in Figure 2, may be formed with surfaces 6 of cylindrical shape, having interspaced staggered rows of lugs 7 thereon.

One of the rollers, at least, is secured to its shaft by means of a number of springsS, which are securedgto-theshaft and the roller cylinder in any desired manner. One of the rollers may be fast on its shaft; The belt 1 is passed down between the rollers and abar 2? is set into it, to hold in the loop 1 and act asra core forthe bale.

Instead of the spring, the one'or both 0 the rollers may be mounted on its shaft by means of someapproved form of adjustable friction clutch, which will only give way when a certain. torque has been attained, the essential being that when the strain on the roller, which has rotary play on its shaft, has passed acertain point, this roller will give,so as to permit more of the belt to a'ccumulate between the two rollers.

As a tension for the belt to hold it on the two rollers, I may provide a roller 8 held by means of weights 9. These weights have nothing substantial to do with the tension on the belt between the two rollers.

As a means to relievethe tension between the two rollers, one of them may be mounted V thereby (Figure 4) which will result in ejecting. the bale from between thetwo rolls;

In operation the two rollers or drums are brought together, and a bat of cotton is fed into the belt, and the drums set into rotation: -The: cotton issque'e'zed between the drums, and is revolved within the belt with the. result forming a eylindrical bale." The amount of belt which accumulates-between the rolls is dependent upon the strain which is necessary to overcome the roll that is equipped with the -springs,'or the friction clutch or the like. The belt is constantly driven, and cannot slip on the rolls or drums. The tension roller does not place strain on the axles of the rollers or drums, and all they have to do is support the weight of the bale.

As a result of thisthe axles do not become erampe'd,-andwill not bind;

- 'The power necessary to form the compressed bale is thus much less, and the belt has a longer life. 7

Thus the essence of my process is to form the bale in a loop of the belt positively driven on both sides of the loop, andnot frictionally driven.- The pressure onthe cotton is controlled absolutely, without anyupul lingdown strainon the belt driving means, as is the case Where the tension on the belt controls the compressionkon the bale. Their-looming cotton, as it is fed into the belt, is always compressed by being forced to pass through anropenin g which is constant. Thus the com binedaction of the freedom of" one or both rolls to give in a rotary dire-ctionzand: the

constant spacing oftheir-peripheries apart,

Where a controlled friction is used-,7 this effee would not be present at all. 7

It will be noted that it is not a requisite'that the belt form adepending ,loop, outsid'e of means for keeping a continuous belt in: feed ingcontact with a pairofintermeshing rolls, will suffice V I Having thus described my inventiomwha't I claim as new anddesire to secureby Letters Patent, is:- 1 v r 1.- In aycotton ba'ling apparatus, spaced rolls having positively driven shafts, a belt passed over said rolls and having a depending loop intermediate thereof, and a yield-able copnection betweenone of said shafts and its r0 l. I

, 2-.- In a cotton baling apparatus-,; spaced roll-s having positively driven; shafts, a. belt passed over said rollsand-having loop intermediate thereof, ayieldable connection between one of said shafts and; its roll, and means on the belt cooperating with one roll to effect a lagging rotation, thereof incident to strain upon the belt.

3. An apparatus of the class described'com pris-ing means for assembling cotton fibre into acom pact mass, an'dmeans-for exerting elastically Ivaria'ble coinpression stress 1 05 the loop in which thebale is formed as any upon the said mass at all times as the same is being assembled.

4. An apparatus of the class described comprising means for rolling cotton fibre web into a roll, and means for exerting an elastically variable compression stress upon the said roll at all times during the rolling of the same.

5. In a cotton baling apparatus, spaced rolls, a rotatable shaft for carrying each of said rolls, a belt passing over said rolls and looped intermediate thereof, means for positively driving one of said rolls, and driving means for another of said rolls, including a resilient connection between the last mentioned roll and its respective shaft.

6. In a cotton baling apparatus, a pair of spaced rolls, a rotatable shaft for each of said rolls, a belt passing over said rolls and looped intermediate thereof, means formed on said belt and rolls for causing positive engagement between the same, driving means for each of said shafts, and aspring fastened to one of said shafts and its respective roll for resiliently mounting said roll to permit variable movement of the same incident to stresses on the loop in said belt.

7. In a cotton baling apparatus, a pair of spaced rolls, a rotatable shaft for each of said rolls, a belt passing over said rolls and looped intermediate thereof, driving means for the said shafts, and a spiral spring connection between one of saidshafts and its respective roll.

J OI-IN A. TAFT. 

